Benjamin McKenzie. Biography, filmography and personal life of the actor

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

Benjamin McKenzie first announced himself to the whole world, starring in "The Lonely Hearts". The youth series was released in 2003 on Fox. In this long TV story, the actor took on the role of Ryan Atwood, a guy from poor neighborhoods who ended up in the elite Orange County. A brilliantly played role overnight made Benjamin Mackenzie famous. The actor was nominated twice (in 2004 and 2005) for the prestigious Teen Choice Awards, fighting for the title of best actor in a drama series. Mackenzie is also known to the Russian audience for his roles in the films Gotham and Southland. Popularity goes hand in hand with the desire of fans of the actor's work to penetrate his personal life. Well, let's open the veil of secrecy. In this article we will tell not only about the biography of Benjamin Mackenzie, his creative path. We will also try to highlight his affairs of the heart.

Actor's family

Benjamin McKenzie saw the light in Austin, Texas on September 12, 1978. It should immediately be said that the real name of the actor is Shenkan. Benjamin's parents were we althy, but far from the world of cinema. Father, Peter Mead Shankan, was a lawyer,rose to the rank of District Attorney. Mother, Mary Francis Victory, in addition to working as an editor and newspaper reporter, taught a course at the university and wrote poetry. She was a recognized poetess and even received the A. Steiner Barlson Prize for her writings. But the acting genes were still present in Benjamin's DNA. His uncle, Robert Shenkan, is a distinguished screenwriter who won the Pulitzer Prize. His second cousin is actress Sarah Drew. And the paternal grandmother and grandfather in their younger years also played on the stage. But the father insisted that Ben and his other two sons, Zach and Nate, follow in his footsteps and become lawyers.

Education

At Austin High School, Benjamin McKenzie was a sportsman and a member of the football team. The daughters of former US President Bush also studied at the same institution. But Barbara and Jenna are a year younger than the future actor. Having received a matriculation certificate in 1997, at the request of his parents, he entered the University of Virginia, the same one where his father and grandfather were educated. Ben graduated from the Faculty of International Relations. Even in the first years of the university, acting genes made themselves felt, and the young man took part in student theatrical performances with pleasure. Having received a bachelor's degree in international economics, Ben already knew that a career in law was not for him. In 2001, he went to New York - a city of great opportunities. In order to have money for a living, Ben works as a waiter, and in order to realize himself as a person, he playstheater. He played in the play “Life is a dream”, as well as in a dozen other productions as part of the Williamstown Festival (“The Blue Bird”, “Street Stage” and others). By the way, the acting streak also manifested itself in Ben's older brother, Nate. He completed his education at Yale University, but now works in one of the theaters on Broadway. The youngest of the brothers, Zach, is currently a student at Pomona College, near Los Angeles.

Career start

Having behind him the experience of participating in theatrical productions, the actor decided to try himself in the cinema. As usual, the first step was television. He starred in the TV series East Park (DC), Military Legal Service and Mad TV. Success awaited him after working in the youth epic "Lonely Hearts", filmed from 2003 to 2007. The actors' guild already listed one Ben Shenkan. Therefore, the young man was forced to choose another stage name for himself - Benjamin Mackenzie. The actor moves from New York to Los Angeles and makes his way into a big movie. He made his debut in the film "The Junebug" (2005), where he played Johnny Johnsten. Since then, invitations to the set began to pour in on the actor with enviable regularity.

Benjamin Mackenzie Filmography

In 2007, the actor was lucky enough to play in tandem with Al Pacino in the action-packed thriller "Eighty-Eight Minutes" (the role of Mike Stemp). For this work, he was nominated for the Sarasota Film Festival Cup. StarBenjamin McKenzie hit the zenith in 2008 when he played Joe Bonham in Johnny Got a Gun. This solo performance brought the actor praise from film critics. From 2009 to 2013, McKenzie worked in the team of the series "Southland", where he brilliantly played Ben Sherman, a patrol policeman. In 2011, the cartoon character Bruce Wayne spoke in his voice in Batman: Year One. In 2013, MacKenzie starred in two films at once: Deciphering Annie Praker (the role of Tom) and Goodbye World (Nick Rendworth). And when in February 2014 they began to recruit a team in the television series "Gotham", there was not even a question who would be taken on the role of the fair investigator James Gordon.

Benjamin McKenzie: personal life

The actor brilliantly reincarnated as a brilliant detective. According to the script, the hero Mackenzie James Gordon is gradually moving closer to a colleague at work, medical examiner Leslie Tompkins. Fan girls held their breath: are cinematic passions really a reflection of a real romance between actors? Mackenzie had a relationship in the past that promised to go into marriage - with Mischa Barton. The girl at that time was eighteen, and the actor was 26. The age difference, alas, affected life orientations and values. Young people soon broke up.

In 2005, the 1.75-meter-high handsome man was named one of the ten most desirable bachelors by InStyle magazine. And he remained so until in September 2015 the cinema world was stirred up by the news: actress Morena Baccarin was pregnant by Mackenzie. It should be said that thisThe beauty already has a child from her first marriage to director Austin Chick. This is the son of Julius, who was born in 2013. However, Benjamin Mackenzie and his wife Morena are happy. The couple also have a pit bull named Oscar.

Political life

Benjamin McKenzie, whose films are very popular in America, has an active citizenship. He goes to rallies, is interested in economics and politics. In 2004, he called on fans of his work to vote for John Kerry, and in 2008 - for Barack Obama. He holds actions in support of homeless children.